


Wet

by Athena13



Series: Wet [1]
Category: One Life to Live
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Temptation, Water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athena13/pseuds/Athena13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Michael and Natalie play in the rain. What if John saw?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wet

**Author's Note:**

> (Former) Jolie fan here. Written 2005.

"Here." Michael tossed Natalie a towel from his bathroom and grabbed one for himself.

Natalie took the towel and looked around Michael's room. She hadn't known he was living in the room she and Paul had lived in the brief time they had lived together. It was kind of creepy, actually. Once his killer had been identified it had begun to hit home that someone she had been involved with was now dead. Another dead man added to the growing list.

Shivering, Natalie tossed the towel onto the couch and began to pull off her soaked poncho.

"I'll hang it in the bathroom." Michael walked over and took the sodden bundle. "You all right?" He looked down at her.

"Yeah." Natalie bent her head down to avoid his piercing gaze. She picked up the towel and began to dry her hair.

"Hey, you're never going to be able to untangle it if you keep doing that." Michael moved closer. 

Natalie looked up at him curiously as he put his hands over hers and stopped her scrubbing motion.

"Listen, why don't you take a shower and I'll give you some scrubs to change into."

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to get wet if I go out there again."

"You don't have to go yet."

"Are you inviting me to hang out, Michael?" Natalie smirked at the idea.

"What's wrong with that?" Michael shrugged and took the towel out of her hand.

Natalie looked down to think about it. That's when she noticed that he had taken off his shirt. She bit her lip as she took in his muscular chest and washboard abs. She never knew that was hiding under his shirts.

But then when was she ever a good judge of anything when it came to men?

"What's going on in that complicated head of yours?" Michael asked.

Natalie blew out a breath and looked back up at Michael. She opened her mouth to speak, but to her surprise and embarrassment instead of words a sob came out.

"Hey." Michael dropped the towel and put his hands on her shoulders. "Is the idea of hanging out with me that frightening?"

Natalie shook her head and laughed through her tears.

Michael sighed and pulled her into his arms.

"What did John do now?"

Natalie shook her head, unable to speak through her sobs.

"Shhhhh," Michael murmured and rubbed circles on her back.

After a few minutes, her sobs subsided and she took a deep breath. Then another.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against his chest.

"You obviously needed that. So tell me, what did my brother do now?"

"It's not about John. Not really," she clarified after Michael made a noise indicating his doubt.

"Then what was it about?"

Embarrassed, Natalie pulled out of his arms.

"I'm getting you all wet."

"I'm already wet. We just played in the rain."

Natalie smiled. "We did, didn't we?" She sounded rather surprised. "Does this make us friends now or something?"

"I guess I don't completely hate you." Michael thumbed the tears off her right cheek.

Natalie looked into Michael's eyes. Soft brown eyes she noticed for the first time. She felt her cheeks heating up as she realized she could feel the heat pouring off his body. His half-naked body.

"You're shivering," Michael said softly.

"I'm wet and cold. And I'm going to get sick. I'm telling you." Natalie took the towel from Michael and mopped off her face and neck.

"You can't get sick from the rain. But you can compromise your immune system if you stand around wet and cold for too long. Why don't you take a shower? I'll get those scrubs."

Natalie nodded and cleared her throat.

"Then, maybe when you're done you'll tell me what those tears were about?"

Natalie shrugged and plastered on a fake smile.

"I'll try not to use all of the hot water." Natalie walked past him, trying not to flinch as she brushed against him in the small space in front of the couch.

"I'll need a cold shower anyway."

Natalie heard the whispered words he didn't mean for her to hear and took a deep breath. Her hand trembled as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

"Everything you need is on the dresser."

"Thanks." Natalie had gotten her equilibrium back in the long hot shower. This was Michael McBain, he was a guy, but he was also harmless. He was in love with Marcie, he wasn't going to let anything happen. Not that she wanted it to she had firmly told herself. He was John's brother. They were just friends. Sorta.

Barely glancing at her, Michael went into the bathroom.

Letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, Natalie walked over to the dresser and picked up the comb he had thoughtfully placed on top of the green scrubs. Thankfully, Michael had decent conditioner so getting the comb through her wet locks wasn't that difficult. Once they were untangled and streaming down her back, she secured the towel around her body and looked around for something to tie her hair up with.

Damn. She had a band in her jeans, but they were hanging in the bathroom to dry. She reached out and picked up the scrub top, just then the door to the room was flung open. Startled, she spun around to see John standing in the doorway looking just as startled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I was invited," Natalie said pointedly.

"Where's my brother?" he demanded.

"In the shower." Natalie relished the words coming out of her mouth when she saw John's eyes darken. "Why are you here?"

"Roxy said Michael needed me. I can guess why she sent me in here." The rasp of his voice sent shivers up and down her spine. As it always did.

Natalie watched as he put his hand on the door, but was surprised when instead of leaving he closed it behind him and walked into the room.

Conscious of her nudity, Natalie smoothed the towel against her hips. She boldly looked at him as he got closer.

In seconds John was in front of Natalie and there was no disguising his seething anger.

"Couldn't have me so you thought you'd have my brother?"

Shocked, Natalie backed up until she hit the dresser.

"You know, I didn't actually mean for you to literally use all of the hot water," Michael complained as he walked out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of jeans and towel around his neck.

"Oh, hey, John. I didn't know you were here." Michael looked back and forth between his brother and Natalie. "What's going on?"

"I didn't know you went for my cast offs, Michael." John rasped cruelly.

Natalie's hand shot out to smack him, but he caught her before she connected with his face.

"You're hurting me!" Natalie tried to pull her wrist out of his vice-like grip.

"Let her go, John."

John complied with Michael's order.

"I can see now why you kept hounding me about Evangeline. You wanted Natalie for yourself."  
John looked at his brother, then at Natalie. In that moment, the delicate truce of the past year seemed to disappear between the two brothers.

"I thought you loved Marcie."

Natalie shivered at the coldness passing between them. It was like two strangers measuring each other in preparation for a battle.

"John, nothing is…" Natalie began to explain.

"Don't bother." John's words were clipped.

"Don't speak to her that way," Michael warned.

"Standing up for your whore, how touching."

Her ire up, Natalie stepped forward.

"Don't, Natalie."

Natalie's head whipped around. She had never heard that tone in Michael's voice. She didn't know he could sound like that.

Seeing the anger and the plea in her eyes, Michael relented.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Natalie and I got wet in the rain. I was giving her some dry clothes. Nothing happened."

"But really good job insulting both of us. Especially Natalie. You don't deserve her, man."

"You're right, I don't." John looked at Natalie, his blue eyes were bleak.

"I was wasting my breath all along. With both of you."

John and Natalie looked warily at each other. "John, I know you were just jealous."

"Don't make excuses for me, Natalie. I'm not worth it."

"I think you are." Natalie moved forward and put her hand on his arm.

As if burned, John backed away until his progress was stopped by the couch.

"You should get dressed and I should leave."

Natalie just looked at him. Daring him. Taunting him.

Without a word John turned and walked out of the room. She got a small bit of satisfaction when the door slammed behind him.

END


End file.
